Nothing but Decisions
by justonedimple
Summary: Rose is in love with Scorpius, her cousin's other best friend, but she is under the impression that she means nothing to him. Conversations are misinterpreted and all that's left for her to do is make a decision. But will she make the right one?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to JK Rowling. That is not me.

**A/N: **I have recently edited this story and its second chapter and as you can tell, reposting them. I have edited according to some comments from lovely reviewers, and I sincerely apologise for the delay in chapter posting. I have found that I have less time as the holidays go on…

Anyway, here is the newly edited Nothing but Decisions for you all.

Love, Smitty.

* * *

Rose Weasley watched as her cousin and best friend Albus Potter paced furiously back and forth in front of her.

Her eyes traced his movements lazily, watching as he gestured emphatically whilst saying something she didn't really care to hear.

He halted, and then turned to face her expectantly.

"Well?" he asked.

She stared blankly at him, not knowing what to say because she had no idea what he had been rambling about, but then she heard a snigger from beside her, and elbowed the culprit sharply in the ribs.

"Rosie Posie, you wound me so..."

She glared at him for the blatant use of her least favourite nickname, even though her traitorous heart fluttered at the sound of his throaty chuckle, but she recovered beautifully and then reprimanded him. "I _told _you not to call me that. _And, _is it necessary to laugh at everything I do, Malfoy? Is it?"

He imitated the confused look she had used just moments before and said, "Why, yes, _Rosie Posie, _I do believe it is necessary."

"Ugh." She grunted and turned to face her cousin. "Okay, Al. What were you saying? I wasn't really listening."

"Oh my God, Rose. I was _saying_ how it was the stupidest thing in _existence_ that you and Scorp don't get along."

She scoffed. "We don't like each other, that's all there is to it! Nothing will ever change that." She looked to Scorpius for back-up, and he nodded voraciously, his silver bangs flying into his stormy eyes. God, she wished her heart would slow down enough for it _not_ to be heard from Canada. "Oh, and it would be the _most stupid _thing in existence, if it was even a valid statement."

"Big words, Posie, big words. Get out those grammar guns..." Scorpius jibed, prodding her in the side in an effort to annoy her. Another flutter.

"Just because you can't comprehend the English language effectively enough to hold civilised conversations..." she retorted as she stood up to move away from him.

"_See?_" Albus half-yelled.

"No, I don't see! And you know why I don't see? Because there is nothing _to _see!" she half-yelled back, now producing exaggerated arm movements herself. She plopped back down on the couch and said, "What do you see, Albus? Pray tell, why do you think this one-" she jabbed a finger in Malfoy's direction, "- and I could _ever _become friends?"

"Because you are exactly the same!" Albus exclaimed after a moment's deliberation.

This time it was Scorpius that retaliated. "I beg to differ! I have nothing in common with that red-headed, freckly... thing. And I never will!" He laughed at Albus' proclamation and Rose's grunt-slash-scoff, although it seemed rather watery.

* * *

God. Isn't that just a kick in the pants? Now all of her brilliant plans to reveal her true feelings for her cousin's best friend had flown out the window, carried delicately on his hurtful words. And she thought they were getting along swimmingly as of late.

Serious! She honestly had thought that they were well on their way to become at _least _friends.

They barely argued anymore, and had managed to hold a civilised conversation _more than once. _The first conversation was a momentous occasion, as you most undoubtedly realise.

And now, well, now it felt like she had been rolled under a bull-dozer. She couldn't breathe properly and it felt like the air around her was crushing her inwards.

"Hey... Rose! Rosie!" Albus shook her gently, and Scorpius asked from his new position near the fireplace, "What's up with _her?_"

"I'm fine," she answered for him. Standing up and trying not to break down in tears, she said, "I'm going to go to bed."

"Hey, are you _sure _you are okay?" Albus asked, a little worried at her sudden change of demeanour. He was the only person who knew about Rose's feelings for his best friend, and had been unsuccessfully attempting to push them together ever since. The tears he saw well up in her eyes were evidence enough of the hurt that Scorpius' words had inflicted.

Rose only nodded sullenly and trudged dejectedly up the stairs to her private room, her only solace at times like this.

Albus watched her go with sadness on her features, and when he was sure that she was safely out of hearing range, he turned on Scorpius and hissed, "What is your problem?! Why would you say something like that about her?"

Scorpius put his hands up in a defensive gesture. "Woah, chill. I didn't mean anything by it. It was a joke, man, a joke!"

Albus growled. Scorpius' eyebrows disappeared into the flaxen hair adorning his head, and he asked, "Seriously, Al. What's wrong with what I said? She takes everything too seriously, you know that..."

"Hardly a convincing argument, Scorp." He plonked himself down on the couch, and swung his legs over the arms so he was lying down.

"What is her issue, Al? She knows that she should take everything I say with a grain of salt. I don't mean half of what I say, she knows that... We were just becoming friendly..." he mused.

"Exactly! And by saying what you did, you insinuated that all her efforts of trying to make nice with you were fruitless. You made it seem like you wanted nothing to do with her, kind of... That she meant nothing..." Albus trailed off.

"Oh..." was his undignified response.

"Oh, indeed, my friend." Albus smirked, though it turned into a grimace as he stood up. "And now, I will take my leave, so you can sort this out on your own. A little advice: deal with the issue quickly, don't let it fester. It's _real _bad when it festers..."

Scorpius gulped, then whimpered a little. He could imagine exactly what he meant – he had been a member of the audience witnessing one of her outbursts one summer when he had stayed at the Potters, and it was not pretty.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Go and make amends!" Albus exclaimed, pushing the blonde boy up the stairwell.

"Okay, okay! I'm going!" He slapped his friend's hands away.

Albus nodded, and bid him good luck, before sauntering out of the porthole, smirking.

It was exactly how he had planned it to go...

* * *

Back in the Heads Dorm, Scorpius stood outside Rose's bedroom door, hand poised to knock. His conscience was screaming at him to "hurry up and tell her you're sorry", but his pride was standing in the way.

Suddenly, the maroon door was pulled open and a sniffling Rose ran head first into his shocked, tense and incredibly remorseful self.

"Oh, it's you..." she said, wiping her eyes furiously, trying to remove all evidence of her tears. Why did _he _have to be the one she was stuck on? Why couldn't it have been a nicer, more caring person... Someone like, I don't know, Aidan Finnegan or Elijah Thomas? She was sure that the Gods had it in for her, because everything to do with the boy in front of her ended up hurting her in some way, shape or form.

"Yeah... Look, Rose, I'm sorry about what I said. I honestly didn't think you would take it the way you did..."

_What_? Why did he only apologise _now_? Well, no. She wasn't going to accept his half-hearted apology. _No way, no how_.

Rose's eyes hardened significantly and she retorted, "Oh, cause I'm not like every other girl, right? I wouldn't _feel _things that other girls feel, is that what you're saying?" He tried to correct himself, but she interrupted by holding up her hand in front of his face. She shook her head sadly. "And I _honestly _thought we could be friends. Have a nice life, Scorpius."

Then she walked away. She walked away! How could she walk away from him? An odd sense of rejection welled up in him and he suppressed the urge to slink against the wall, instead choosing to return to his own room.

Sitting on his bed, he mulled over the events of the afternoon – especially what he intended to be the "reconciliation conversation."

She'd said, "Have a nice life..."

What did that mean? It couldn't mean.. Surely! How could she _not _talk to him for the _rest of their lives. _It just would not do.. They were almost friends!

He sat for a little while, trying to figure out a way to make her understand, to reconcile – but it was to no avail. He flopped backwards on the bed and put his forearm on his forehead, hoping the slight pressure would relieve him of a headache that he could definitely feel forming behind his eyes.

* * *

Rose stalked through the corridors, slamming people into the stone walls, asking for the whereabouts of "that prat, Albus Severus Potter."

She didn't care that it was almost curfew, and she certainly didn't pay any attention to the disapproving and disgusted looks people gave her as she barged them out of the way.

A small group of third and fourth years suddenly crowded the hallway, and having had enough of rude people for the rest of her life, she shouted, "Get out of this hallway before I deduct every single house point you have!"

They scurried away, muttering things like, "Geez, who spit in her pumpkin juice?" and "Gosh, PMS, much?"

She saw a shock of black, messy hair disappear around the corner after the group had cleared out and almost instantaneously took after it. Rounding the corner, she sped up and called out, "Al, wait!"

Albus Potter turned around, recognized her, smiled sheepishly, chuckled nervously, coughed to cover it up and then said, "I wasn't running away from you..." in a tiny voice that suggested that what he said was the complete opposite from the truth.

"Liar."

Silence fell between the two cousins for a while.

Albus desperately needed to ask her how it had gone with Scorpius, but refrained until Rose deemed things awkward enough to speak.

"So..."

"How'd it go with Scorp?" he blurted out, instantly regretting his lack of tact when Rose's face turned slightly more red than normal, and her eyes glazed over with tears.

"How'd it go? _How'd it go? _How do you think it went? He insulted me, saying I was weird compared to other girls and that I don't feel things!"

"Wait, wait, wait... Did he actually say that, or did you _assume_ he meant that?" he said, already knowing the answer. "You know when you assume..."

"You make an ass out of you and me, I know." She finished for him. Suddenly her features seemed to droop and he could see the realization spreading over her. "Oh, God! I _assumed _he meant that, and he probably didn't, and know I've wrecked _everything, _and he'll never want to talk to me again, and I'll die an old lady in a dingy old house with only my seventy-nine cats for company!"

"Seventy-nine... Very detailed, Rose."

"You know what I mean! He's the only boy I've ever like this much, Al!" she wailed. "What do I do?"

"Um...." He stood there waiting patiently, while she began to pace back and forth, seemingly forgetting that she was currently in the middle of the corridor and was shouting at the top of her lungs only seconds before.

"I can't just act like it never happened, that would make me seem like a psycho..." she mused. "I know! I'll have to ignore him from now on... It goes with my parting words, I guess..."

"Your parting words?"

She hummed. "Yeah, I said: Have a nice life, Scorpius."

Albus shook his head and said, "Whatever, but I don't honestly think that's the best course of action in a situation like this..."

"What do you suggest I do then, Albus, huh?"

He simply shrugged. "I don't know... But I have a detention with Uncle Snape, and I'm already late, so I better be going."

He turned sharply, leaving Rose standing alone in the corridor gaping at the space he had previously occupied.

She mused as she walked back to her dorm, wondering why she had so viciously lashed out at Scorpius, and more importantly, why she had misinterpreted him so easily. It was obvious, in her mind at least, that the reason was insecurity. Her... appreciation of Scorpius' body... and personality... and wit... and laugh... and beautiful eyes that she could stare into for years.... God, she was in _far too deep. _Anyway, it was her insecurity when it came to all things regarding the opposite gender. She wasn't beautiful by any stretch of the imagination, and she was socially awkward around most people... The only thing she could _truly _rely on was her intelligence, and the type of girls that Scorpius had dated in previous years weren't exactly the smartest crayon in the box.

By this time, she had wound up right in front of the portrait that opened up to the dorm. She muttered "Blubbering Nitwits" and climbed through. She was happy that Scorpius wasn't there, it made avoiding him all the more easy.

She stumbled wearily up the stairs and pushed open her bedroom door, barely making to the bed before she fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, both Heads woke at around the same time, and both decided that they would like to take a shower first thing in the morning.

Rose sleepily walked into the adjoining bathroom, only to find it so foggy that she couldn't see her hand right in front of her face. Suddenly, a large amount of fog was expelled at her face, and with her eyes closed, she waved her hand around manically, clearing the thick fog as much as possible.

She walked blindly and blushed in embarrassment when she ran into the wall. She stepped back quickly, and emitted a high pitched squeal when she lost her footing on the wet tiles. She braced herself for the inevitable impact her head would make with the hard ground, but only felt a thin, sinewy arm snake its way around her waist and pull her into a standing position.

She opened her eyes cautiously and a new blush crept all the way to her hairline at the bare, chiselled stomach and chest that her eyes were directly in line with. She couldn't breathe again, so she wrestled her way out of where she was held so firmly in Scorpius' arms – oh, how she loved the sound of that – and fled, but not before muttering a small thanks to the confused boy, standing there in a towel.

She placed her hands on her cheeks and turned them over a couple of times in a fruitless attempt to reduce the flush that had taken up residence on her face.

Forgoing the shower for the morning, she quickly dressed for the Hogsmeade trip that took place every second Saturday. Making her escape quickly, she practically ran out of the dormitory and to the front gate, where she was meeting Albus.

Once she had arrived, panting slightly, she stood on her tip-toes to look for the tell-tale black hair that would alert her to Albus' whereabouts. She saw it, and forced her way through the crowd to take her place at Albus' side.

However, when she finally reached him, he was busy chatting to a dark-haired beauty from Ravenclaw.

"Hey, Albus."

No response; his attention remained on the girl tossing her hair dreamily over her right shoulder.

"Hey, Al..."

Again, no response.

"ALBUS!"

"No need to yell, Rose." He stated calmly when he finally turned around from flirting with the leggy brunette.

"Sorry," she said sarcastically. "I didn't think that your attention could be so focused on one person..."

"Well, yeah..." he said, her sarcasm totally unregistered in his mind. "I'm actually going to walk around Hogsmeade with Melanda today, is that cool with you?"

_NOOOOO! _Her mind shouted, but externally she nodded, and said, "Of course, you two have fun..."

Albus grinned goofily, and she could tell that he was so excited about his plans for today that she couldn't stay mad at him, so she grinned back and waved goodbye.

She walked through the gates and clambered clumsily into one of the carriages, which was almost full. The three Ravenclaws, two Hufflepuffs and one or two Gryffindors, excluding herself, sat in silence for most of the bumpy trip.

When they arrived in Hogsmeade, she waited until everyone had exited the carriage before running her hands through her auburn hair and following them.

The town was already bustling with students and Rose decided to head to Honeydukes to buy some sweets. It's possible to drown your sorrows in Chocolate Frogs and Christmas-themed Tinsel Toffees, right?

She nodded to herself and sped towards the bright display windows of the most famous candy shop in the whole of Hogsmeade.

The sheer number of different types of candy in Honeydukes never failed to amaze her, and she smiled despite herself. In the corner of her eye, she spotted a flash of platinum blonde hair which could only belong to the sole reason she had needed to come to Honeydukes and the reason why her heart was suddenly beating uncontrollably against her ribcage.

All of a sudden, a rough shoulder barged past her, and the person called out over the offending shoulder, "Watch it, loser!"

That was the tip of the ice-berg for Rose, and she felt the hot, salty tears well up mercilessly in her big, brown eyes (the one thing she had inherited from her mother) and it was all she could do not to break down in the middle of the crowded store, so she did what Rose Weasley did best: she ran. She ran so fast that she didn't notice the concerned pair of eyes that followed her.

* * *

To be honest, Scorpius had done a lot of thinking in the early hours of that morning, when he couldn't get to sleep. Only after hours and hours of pondering such trivial things as why he noticed the exact shades of brown, gold and red in Rose's hair did he realise that only people in love noticed things like that often enough to _ponder _them.

So, when she had run, red-faced into him after he had just climbed out of the shower and – thankfully - slung a towel around his waist, he had contemplated confessing everything right there and then. However, before he could, she had struggled out of his arms and ran away.

And now, as he watched her getting barged into, called a loser, and fleeing the candy store, he couldn't help but feel protective of the poor girl.

So, naturally, he dropped everything – literally – and chased after her. He saw her walking slowly down the main street of Hogsmeade, by herself, with her head down and arms crossed.

Even from afar she looked depressed.

"Rose!"

She turned around too quickly and almost lost her balance on the slippery street. She steadied herself and squinted. Once she recognized who called after her, she turned around and hurried away. She couldn't believe that even from that far away he still made her whole body go into overdrive.

"Rose!"

Rose turned around again, and yelled, "What, Scorpius? What do you want from me?"

By this time, he was three to four metres away from and heaving large, laboured breaths, having run all the way from Honeydukes to... outside Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, it seemed.

"I just wanted to apologise..." he panted.

Her eyes glazed over and he extended a hand to comfort her, but she slapped it away.

"I just wanted to apologise..." he muttered, more quietly than the time before.

"For what, Scorp?" she cried, tears spilling over cheeks. "For effectively smashing my heart into a million jillion pieces? For making me feel like I'm some Martian, or hippogriff-mermaid hybrid that nobody likes? For what?"

Smashing her heart into a million jillion pieces? That was new.

"Well, come on! Tell me? What do you have to apologise for?" She yelled. After some time in which silence reigned unbridled between them, she started again in a weak voice. "Nothing. That's what I thought. You have nothing to apologise for because I mean nothing to you. Why apologise _to_ nothing _for _nothing, yeah? It all makes perfect sense, doesn't it?"

"Well, don't worry... If I mean nothing to you, then I'll make sure you mean nothing to me. I'll cast a memory charm if need be, swallow some potion, whatever! I'll make sure that this," she gestured between them, "means nothing to me anymore, the same way it means nothing to you. Whatever it is anyway, I mean we are hardly friends! What do we have to bring us together? _Nothing. _That seems to be the answer to everything today, doesn't it?"

She began to walk away, and all of a sudden Scorpius heard Albus' voice in his head.

"_...You made it seem like you wanted nothing to do with her, kind of... That she meant nothing... A little advice: deal with the issue quickly, don't let it fester. It's real bad when it festers..."_

Shit! God, why was he such a dolt? It festered and now she hated him, and Albus was absolutely right about what he made it seem like she meant to him, he'd just heard his confirmation come out of his love's lips. His love... Rose! She was probably waiting for a response... Think, Scorp, think!

However, when he broke from his dazed stupor, Rose was gone.

* * *

Rose couldn't help but hope that he would catch up to her, and kiss her, like in all of her Mother's Muggle movies. She glanced back once or twice, in the vague hope she would see him running gallantly down the street towards her, but all she saw was an empty street, snow covering the ground and random pieces of rubbish floating and dancing on stray gusts of wind.

She dragged her feet heavily through the snow, creating tracks in the white blanket covering every inch of the ground.

She walked past a dark alley, and heard a bin lid fall to the ground. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she chanced a glimpse into the darkness and found Albus and Mel snogging each other's faces off, Mel pressed against the wall, each make hungry noises unashamedly.

Making a face that showed only disgust, she trudged away. Internally, beneath all the disgust at seeing her cousin exchange saliva with some girl, she was jealous. Jealous that Albus got the girl he wanted... If he could get the girl he liked, why couldn't she get the guy she wanted? She had just poured her heart and soul out for him, and what did he do? Stared like a stunned mullet at some point fixated behind her and didn't have the guts to chase after her like any other gentleman would.

She mused more and more on those thoughts as she made her way back to the carriages that would take her back to the castle.

She was glad to see that there was one free, and she decided to take advantage of its empty state.

The horseless carriage began to move as soon as she shut the small door, and she stumbled backward onto the seat. Re-seating herself rather ungraciously, she began to consider her options... She _could _always ask Madam Pomfrey for a potion, she would understand, wouldn't she?

Or a spell, or a charm... She could ask Madam Pince for a pass into the restricted section, or just peruse the public area for some ideas...

The carriage halted sharply, and she fell from her seat onto the floor. Rubbing her elbows, she scrambled up grumpily and flung open the door. Stomping out into the snow, she paid no mind the confused glances sent her way from the few students that stayed behind that weekend.

Angrily, she stormed up to the dreaded dorm and all but screamed the password at the frightened portrait. She didn't hear the surrounding portraits protest at her fury, as she had slammed and locked the door to her bedroom before the entry portrait had swung shut.

She collapsed on the red and gold comforter and fumed for a little while before her emotions took hold and she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

Scorpius felt like he was about to burst into tears, and for someone brought up in an environment such as his that was _very unusual. _Maybe it was an explosion of all his pent up feelings from the past 17 years of his life, but he could _unmistakably _feel the wetness in his eyes, and it burned, burned like the fiery pits of hell.

He wondered somewhere in the back of his mind, whether that is what Rose had felt, and even if it was only a fraction, he immediately regretted every horrid word he had ever uttered about her.

He sullenly made his way to the carriages, and caught it back to the school.

Once there, he moodily grazed past people and grumbled all the way to the dorm. He mumbled the password, and the portrait swung open. He couldn't help but notice that the portrait seemed rather shaken up for some reason.

Oh, well. He had bigger problems.

He climbed the stairwell slowly, his legs feeling sluggish and heavy.

He heard quiet sniffling from somewhere, and he turned around to look at the common room... There was no-one there...

Then it struck him... Rose.

_Rose. _

He tip-toed up to her door, and lo-and-behold he could hear the sounds of muffled sobs emitted from behind the wood.

He stayed outside her door until the sobs quietened, and then stopped altogether. Her soft, gentle breathing echoed through the door and he could hear each inhalation and exhalation clearly despite the range.

On an impulsive notion, he stood up quickly and pushed open her door. He was sincerely surprised that she hadn't used a locking charm on it. He looked upon the small figure sprawled face-first on the garish bedspread. Swiftly and silently, he crept over to her bedside, and sat himself upon the mattress. She murmured and shifted in her sleep, curling up against his leg. A lock of her hair and fallen on her face, so he gently stroked it away, but was unprepared for the jolt of electricity that resonated in his veins.

* * *

Rose felt it too. She had woken up when she felt the pressure of his body next to hers on her mattress. So, she rolled over and curled up against his leg. She figured, if it was the only opportunity she was every going to get to be as close to him as she was now, she might as well take advantage of it.

A gentle hand smoothed a stray lock of hair away from her face, and she almost sighed at the compassion and love in that one movement.

She felt the shift in weight again when he made to get off the bed, but evidently decided against it. Her breathing quickened ever-so-slightly when she felt his warm breath near her ear.

"I'm sorry."

Scorpius hoped that the emotion he put into the two words sufficed for the amount of hurt he had put her through, even though in the far reaches of his mind, he knew they didn't.

With another gentle stroke of her cheek, which Rose felt down to her toes, the bed shifted slightly.

And then he was gone.

She slowly opened her eyes to make sure he wasn't there anymore. When she confirmed that he was not in her room still, she sat up and put her head in her hands.

She loved him... As horrifying as it was, she did.

And know he was saying sorry? She still didn't know what for... It could be that he was sorry for hurting her feelings, or it could be that he was sorry he couldn't love her back.

Looking at the boy's track record with relationships, it was most likely the latter.

Just the thought of made her sick to the stomach. Swallowing the urge to regurgitate what she had for lunch, she made a decision.

It was drastic, sure, but the most effective way to save her a lot of heart-break in the future. Isn't that what people said: A little pain now is better than a lot of pain later...? Something similar to that.

She hoped she was making the right decision.

She would tell Albus tomorrow, and she sincerely hoped that he would understand.

However, she couldn't help but think that things could get a little awkward between the two cousins... Because from now on, Rose Charlotte Weasley, cousin and best friend to Albus Potter, would cease all verbal or written contact with one Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, the other best friend of Albus Potter.

Yes, she was _definitely _making the right decision.

**Review? **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything, except the plot and an erratic array of thoughts.

**A/N: **This is it - the next and final chapter of my Rose/Scorpius two-shot. I hope you enjoy it. I don't usually write happy, fairytale endings, so I don't know how this is going to go yet.

And as per usual, with my later stories, I have incorporated music from my second favourite musical in the world, Dreamgirls (it is second only to Wicked). Download the soundtrack.

And just so you know, Snape is alive in this one, not dead. Alive. Just so you know. :)

Enjoy.

* * *

He was dreading tonight immensely.

It was the Hogwarts' five-year reunion.

He felt a small pair of arms snake their way around his waist from behind and a small kiss placed on his back.

"Hey, sugar." Olivia Parkinson's saccharine voice made it difficult to restrain the wracking shudder that threatened to take over his body.

"Hi, love." Ugh, _love. _

"Are you almost ready?"

He only nodded, and turned around to face their bedroom.

Olivia straightened his tie for him, and gripped his arm in a death-vice as she all but dragged him from the Manor.

He had proposed to Olivia three weeks ago, and she had promptly moved into the Malfoy Manor not two days later, with the excuse: "I'm going to be a Malfoy wife, I need to acquaint myself with all the parlours and bathrooms – but not kitchens, and I assume you have house elves, no?"

He felt rather uncomfortable when he thought about the congratulations he had received from varying friends and family members, mostly because one never came from the person he cared about most. Yes, even more than the leech hanging off his arm.

Rose Weasley.

He still loved her, and couldn't help but mentally slap himself for not realising it until it was too late.

According to Albus, Rose had made the decision to never speak to him again, and by golly, had she stuck to it.

They had seen each other many times since they had graduated, at group gatherings and the like, but she hadn't uttered a single word to him.

And tonight would be the most awkward moment of his life, he was sure. The Head Girl and Boy from their year had to start the night off with a traditional waltz. That meant Rose and him.

Dancing.

Together.

Once Olivia had led him to the apparition point, just past the security wards placed on the Manor, he gulped and turned on the spot.

The familiar twisting, sucking, squeezing and crushing of his internal organs began and before it became almost too much to bear, they arrived with a distinctive _pop_ in front of the large castle.

Another few deep, calming breaths later, he trudged his way up the long drive to the school and entered through the wrought-iron gates.

God, he missed this place. As weird as that might sound, he really did. He had memories here. And lots of them involved Rose.

Maybe that was why he missed it so much... Oh, well. No use crying over spilt milk. That's how the saying went, right? It was Muggle, so he really had no idea. Rose was full of all of these Muggle quotes she'd gotten off her (lovely) mother. Damn it, why couldn't he stop thinking about her? Stupid memory-reviving castle with its turrets and glary lights...

He and his date were greeted by an excessively cheery Professor Flitwick, and were promptly ushered into the all-too-familiar Great Hall. They were obviously fairly early, as there was only a smattering of people around the room, and the majority of the attendants were comprised of a large group huddled around a table in the far right corner.

He recognized Albus' hair first and almost ran away from Olivia in his haste to greet his best friend.

"Albus!" he called.

Albus turned around and greeted Scorpius with a smile. "Hey, man."

He quickly scanned the group, but found no flash of vibrant red hair. "Where's – You know what? Forget it."

"She's running a little late, she should be here soon." Albus provided, with a knowing nod of the head, if it could be called that. It was more of a bounce that made him look like a bobble-head doll. You know, one of those things that are found on the dashboards of Muggle cars.

By this stage, Olivia had managed to catch up to Scorpius, as she was finding it hard to run in her ankle-breaker high-heels.

"Scorpie, darling." She said in a sickly sweet voice. "You can't just run off like that! I could hardly find you."

Scorpius looked around the room, and then at Albus. "But there's, like, no-one here..."

"Oh, pish! Now, what were you talking about before I came over here, boys?"

Scorpius shot Albus a desperate look and Albus quickly covered for him. "We were discussing the theme this year. 'Under the Stars' I believe it was." He gestured to the ceiling, which was pitch-black with a large smattering of silver, sparkling stars that glimmered brilliantly in contrast with the background.

"Oh, isn't that just enchanting!" she squealed.

"Yeah..." Scorpius replied, noncommittally. Albus simply nodded.

"So, Albus, tell me. What have you been up to since you graduated?" Olivia chattered.

_Lord save me, _Scorpius thought dismally.

By the time the forced banter between the three had seemed to have run its supplies dry, the hall had quickly filled up, and as he perused the attendants, he still couldn't find Rose in the crowd. She would have to arrive sooner or later, right? He looked next to him for the leech that was his date, and found the crook of his arm empty. Surprising, really. He expected her to be hanging off his arm all night, ready to flash the huge diamond on her left hand.

He stared at the door, waiting for the redhead that would saunter in at any moment.

He hoped.

"She'll be here, Scorp. Just wait."

"I'm not worried, Al. I just don't want to look like a giant loser dancing around by myself when this god-forsaken thing starts." He chuckled nervously, hoping it sounded plausible, but it obviously sounded as fake to Albus as it did to himself.

"Okay, mate." Albus replied, his sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Oh, shut up."

Albus dropped the subject, which he thought he hadn't really pursued anyway, and pulled out a chair for Scorpius. "Have a seat, Scorp. Relax before the big dance."

Scorpius hadn't realised that he was still standing awkwardly beside the white-clothed table, so seated himself with an elegant grace which only a Malfoy possessed and looked at the tablecloth as if it held some secret meaning which he needed to figure out, only after glaring at the back of Albus' head as he turned around to talk to Fred Weasley Jr.

What felt like only minutes passed, and he had essentially ignored what everyone around him was saying until a voice perked up with a very loud, "She looks beautiful, bless her heart!"

He looked up to find everyone at his table gazing in awe at the door which he was most conveniently facing _away _from.

He turned around, confused as to what the big commotion was about. Whispers broke out, with Scorpius triggering everyone's mouths. "Holy shit..."

* * *

Rose walked up to the doors, more nervous than she had been on graduation day. No, she would not think of graduation day. It only brought more painful memories of _him. _She had confronted Albus about her plan the next day, and though he denied it was a "stroke of genius unlike any other in existence, on the Earth or in the universe", she had ceased all verbal, physical and mental contact with Malfoy. Yeah, you heard right – mental contact. He had tried to invade her thoughts and apologise once using Legilimency taught to him by his father, but luckily she had been taught Occlumency by _her _father. But anyway, thoughts of him _just hurt_.

She wore a beautiful light-blue dress, with a fitted bodice. It extended to the floor, with layer upon layer of tulle underneath it. The sweet-heart neckline was embroidered with small rhinestones and they extended delicately down the bodice and were scattered beautifully throughout the rest of the skirt.

She heaved a deep breath in, which wasn't easy in the slightly-tighter-than-should-be-comfortable gown.

She was the only one outside, she realized as she glanced at her surroundings. A cold shiver ran down her arms from the chilly weather seeping in from outside the castle, and she urged herself to find warmth within the Great Hall.

After several moments of self-encouragement, she pushed open the massive doors and made to walk. She felt like she was going to fall over, so grabbed her dress and hoisted it a little higher, so she wouldn't trip up on the tulle. She stared at the floor in embarrassment when gasps broke out around the hall. Honestly, did she look that bad? A "Holy Shit..." from somewhere in the room added to her insecurity, and she needed to find someone she knew. Albus... Where was he?

She spared one glance around the room to find where Albus was sitting and when she located the shock of ever-unruly black hair – paying no attention to anyone else – she returned her gaze to the floor and scurried over to where he was sitting as fast as she could.

"Al?" She asked. "Why is everyone staring at me? Is it that bad? I knew it! I look hideous!"

A gentle hand lifted her chin, and she found herself staring into the familiar comforting orbs that shone brilliant green in the light - her cousin. God, she loved this kid. Or man...

"Rosie Posie," she snorted and he chuckled. "You look gorgeous. You shame every other woman in this hall."

"Right." She snorted again. "That doesn't explain why everyone is whispering... I am going to kill your sister..."

"You look beautiful, Rose. There will be no need to slaughter Lily. And they are whispering because they are jealous that you look so magically stunning tonight."

_Maybe I don't look as bad as I thought, _she thought. _Albus wouldn't lie to me... Would he? _

She decided to give up and just sit demurely next to him. "Thanks Al. I love you."

"And I love you. But not sexually, that would be just disgusting." He made a face and Rose hit him sideways.

"Gosh, way to ruin a loving,_ family _moment, Albus Severus." Rose giggled.

"It's a talent, Rose Charlotte." Albus retorted.

They settled into a comfortable silence, Rose leaning her head on Albus' shoulder. She wasn't really eavesdropping, but she caught snippets of various conversations. In between, "catching snippets of other people's conversations", she saw another familiar face.

"Lucas!"

"Hello, beautiful."

"Oh, please."

She smiled at her partner – her _singing _partner. She worked for a company that provided entertainment for parties and the like, and on her first day there, she was given to Lucas for training. Needless to say, she loved him like a brother, and they spent almost every minute together when they weren't visiting family.

"You look wonderful tonight, Miss Rose Weasley."

In the background noise, she could distinctly hear a whiny, nasally voice squeal, "I look just as good, don't I, Scorpie dear?"

_Scorpie dear? _Scorpie... Scorpius.

Oh, dear God.

Shooting Albus and Lucas both an alarmed look, she prepared herself to run away. She placed one hand on Albus' shoulder and one on the table and she pushed herself up. However, Albus had other plans. Before she could take a step, he had placed his much larger hand on her delicate shoulder and forced her to sit back down.

She glared. "Albus Severus Potter, you let me go right now!"

He replied simply. "No."

"What do you mean, _no_? I can't be here. Not when _he's_ here!"

"You have to face this sooner or later and besides, Uncle Snape asked you to sing tonight. And you have that dance." He tacked on as an afterthought.

"I can't, I just can't! Do you think I could avoid him for the whole night?" She paused. "Wait – what dance?"

Albus paled under Rose's scrutinizing gaze and coughed something into his fist. Lucas flinched.

"Pardon?"

"Um, the dance between the Head Boy and Girl of the year." He said timidly, shrinking back into his chair as Rose's face grew redder and redder. Moments passed, and both Lucas and Albus began to fear for their lives. It's a well-known fact that when Rose Weasley is quiet for a while, and her face is red, it is a wise time to run for cover.

Suddenly, her face smoothed out and returned to its normal colour. "The dance between the Head Girl and Boy of the year." She repeated smoothly. "Excuse me for one second."

She stood and walked out of the hall as calmly as possible.

When she was out of everyone's sights, she slunk against the wall and tried to regulate her breathing.

_I can't do this. I can't do this. I cannot do this... _she repeated over and over again in her head.

She slid down the wall, not caring about the expensive dress that was sure to be dirty now.

What did the fates have against her?

* * *

He watched as she walked out of the hall, a pretty flush staining her cheeks. Worry grew inside of his chest to the point where he couldn't think of anything else. He excused himself from a conversation with someone he didn't really remember all that well and walked over to where Albus was.

"Hey, where'd she go?" He needn't say _who _he was talking about.

"Uh, I don't really know..." Albus said.

He turned to Lucas Zabini. He shook his head. "Me neither. Sorry, mate."

Before Albus could continue, Scorpius had hurried out of the Great Hall in pursuit of the beautiful girl.

* * *

She heard the footsteps before she saw the feet making the horrible sound.

She hastily swept away the tears – she didn't want to anyone to see her this way. The only other person to _ever_ see her break down was –

"Scorpius?" _Shit. _

God damn it. Five years of silence, only to be broken by _his name. _If the silence _had _to be broken, she wanted it to be broken by a giant explosion where she professed her love to him _again _and he swept her up in his arms and they rode off into a pink sunset together on a white horse.

You know, like in the fairytales every girl dreams about?

She looked up at "Prince Charming" in front of her and found him gaping openly at her. What an idiot.

"Close your mouth, idiot. You look like a fish." Oldest line in the book, right? Her blatant malice seemed to give it a harsher edge that made him visibly flinch, and she _almost _apologized.

_Almost _being the key word in that sentence.

"You – I – What?" he stuttered.

Rose merely shook her head. "You still have no idea, do you? I honestly thought Albus would have told you... Or that you would've figured it out already." She barged past him furiously and called out over her shoulder, hoping to whatever divine entity was up in the sky that Scorpius didn't hear the crack and quiver in her voice. "Congratulations on the engagement, _Scorpie dear._"

He stood there for another whole five minutes before Albus came to find him.

She, luckily, returned just before Snape walked up to the podium to the left of the large stage that had suddenly materialized at the front of the Hall.

She watched as her Uncle – not biologically, _obviously _– walked up the small set of stairs and took his place at the podium. Clearing his throat, he said, "Hello, Graduates of 2023, and welcome back."

Most seemed surprised at the kind and lilting tone of the Headmaster's voice. He'd obviously changed since they had graduated. Only the Potters, Weasleys and Malfoys truly knew of the change – he had kept up the cold, menacing facade during classes.

"As acting Headmaster, I would like to officially welcome you back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We've put together a very special night for all of you, and to start off the festivities tonight, let us welcome Miss Rose Weasley and her partner, Mister Lucas Zabini, to the stage..."

_What? _She thought. _Now?!_

She shuffled hesitantly to the stage, and took the microphone off Snape – he had insisted on having some Muggle technologies installed throughout the castle, including microphones and electrical powerpoints to accommodate for Muggle appliances.

As she waited for Lucas to come onto the stage, she turned to the audience and surveyed the crowd fully for the first time since she had walked through the doors.

Speaking of which, the two doors split suddenly to reveal two men.

Scorpius and Albus.

Double – _no, _triple damn.

She looked at Lucas, now standing beside her, and he gave her an encouraging nod and smile.

"Uh, hi... To start off tonight, Unc – Headmaster Snape asked the two of us to sing a few songs for you. We've chosen a few from both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds, so most of you should be able to recognize a few – if not all of them."

She silently begged Lucas to take over and, being the kind person he was, introduced the first song.

"The first song we are going to sing is from a Muggle musical called _Dreamgirls. _It's called _When I First Saw You._"

The band that she hadn't noticed previously kicked into gear, and the song began.

Lucas sang first.

_When I first saw you,_

_I said "Oh my,_

_That's my dream, That's my dream."_

_Ooh, I needed a dream_

_When it all seemed_

_To go bad;_

_Then I find you._

_And I have had the most_

_Beautiful dreams_

_Any man's ever had._

She heaved in a deep breath and closed her eyes.

_When I first saw you,_

_I said "Oh my,_

_That's my dream, That's my dream."_

_I needed a dream_

_To make me strong._

_You were the only_

_Reason I had to go on._

Dear God, people were staring.

Thankfully, this was where Lucas started singing too, and she stared at him and smiled. He returned the smile graciously and reached out to take her hand.

She appreciated the small gesture more than she thought he knew.

_You were my dream,_

_All the things_

_That I never knew._

_You were my dream,_

_Who could believe_

_They would ever come true?_

_And who would believe?_

_The world would believe_

_In my dreams too._

Thank Merlin. She breathed deeply as Lucas sang solo again.

_Before you were here,_

_Life was only a game._

_And day in,_

_And day out,_

_Worth the same._

_Ooh._

She took another deep breath – she seemed to be taking a lot of those today – and began the call and repeat section. Lucas echoed her this time around...

_Now the dreams (The dreams)_

_Coming true (Coming true)_

_Like the stars (like the stars) _

_See it shine._

Great. Now they had to swap.

_A dream (A dream)_

_That is yours (That is yours)_

_That is mine (That is mine)_

Gosh, that note made her short of breath, and this "swapping echoes" was really doing her head in. Who was echoing this time? Ah, okay. Lucas was opening his mouth, so she was echoing.

_You were my dream (Now I've got dreams of my own)_

_All the things I could never be (Dreams you'd never known)_

Ooh, this part was her favourite. Mainly because it was the last part, but that was beside the point. God, she loved singing in unison.

_You won't take my dream from me._

Damn, this section was line for line. He was first, right? Damn her nerves!

_When I first saw you, Ooh._

_I said "Oh my,"_

_I said "Oh my,"_

Ah, sweet, sweet unison.

_That's my dream._

"Well done." Whispered Lucas into her ear. "I know that was hard for you, but you did it." He squeezed her hand comfortingly and she smiled at the crowd that was now cheering.

She looked at where Albus was sitting, and when she moved her eyes a little to the left, they landed on the sour expression plastered on Scorpius' face. Albus was whispering furiously at him, absent-mindedly clapping to fit in with the crowd.

The microphone being removed from her clutch snapped her back to reality and she felt Lucas guide her off the stage. She could hear Severus saying, "Well done, give them another round of applause. Those two will be up again later tonight to perform some more songs for you all…"

The audience erupted again and she managed to fake a smile and grab Lucas' hand before dragging him to the table.

"Dear God, I never thought I'd make it through that." She swallowed audibly.

Lucas chuckled. "But you did, and quite elegantly in my own personal opinion." He nudged in with his elbow.

"Rose, you were wonderful." Albus said. "Wasn't she, Scorpius?"

He grunted in reply. _Grunted! _The nerve of that man.

"Well, well, well... Some things never change, do they?" She had to admit – calling him out like that was a bit harsh, but she was still mad at him for what happened five years ago. Gosh, that made her sound like a bitter old woman – which she isn't – but a thing like that doesn't just go away.

"What's that supposed to mean, Rose?" Scorpius asked, obviously offended. Good.

"Oh, I don't know... Just that you never seem to care about anyone but yourself, and never pay a compliment to anyone when they deserve it, and have no troubles in breaking someone's heart over and over and over again." Crap. She did _not _mean for that to slip out.

Albus quietly tried to placate his furious cousin. "Rose, maybe now isn't the best time for this conversation..."

"Bullshit. There is no right time to confront someone you loved about breaking your heart, is there?" she raved. "Exactly! So, why not know?"

Scorpius' eyes widened dramatically. "I didn't mean –"

"Because it's the school reunion and you are making a scene." Blunt and straight to the point, a good way to get Rose to co-operate.

Rose seemed to remember where she was, and blushed violently before grabbing Scorpius with one hand and Albus with the other and storming out of the room.

Lucas grinned shakily, laughed nervously, pushed his brown hair back out of his eyes and said, "Sorry, about that everyone..." before high-tailing it after the three.

* * *

When Lucas caught up with the trio, Rose had Scorpius pinned to the wall and was interrogating him.

"So, you had no idea about my feelings until Hogsmeade? None at all? Not even the slightest inkling?" Lucas looked on, thinking bemusedly that she could frighten off a whole horde of Dementors with that look.

Scorpius looked shit-scared and shook his head voraciously in between each of her threatening questions. Rose retracted her wand from its place - touching Scorpius' Adam's apple.

"Well, don't I feel like the biggest loon in the world. I'm worse than Lorcan." She sounded too calm, too dreamy when she said this and when she mentioned her similarities to one of the Scamander twins, she laughed detachedly – sounding similar to the twins' mother, actually.

Lorcan Scamander had been known to prod things when curious, and had nearly had a finger taken clean off by a rogue Flobberworm during one of their Care of Magical Creatures classes in fifth year. He was a raging lunatic with the intelligence of the Flobberworm that nearly bit his finger off – and that was putting gently.

She moved away from him and stood on the opposite side of the corridor.

Rose couldn't help but feel embarrassed. I mean, she had basically accosted her one true love and threatened him, all the while accusing him of breaking her heart when he had no idea about the situation in the first place.

"Hey, if it helps, I liked you, too... I guess..." Scorpius soothed.

Gads, there it was. Past tense. _Liked. _Why couldn't the Gods strike her down with a bolt of lightning?

"Yeah, well... That doesn't really help the situation _now_, does it?"

"What situation? I've moved on," - she flinched, and he didn't notice – "and so have you, obviously..."

"Me? Who says _I've _moved on?" she argued. _Dear God, _she thought. _Why did I say that? _

"Well, fancy-pants singer-boy over here," he pointed to Lucas, "seemed to be a little handsy up on that stage..." he said, anger and - what was that? Jealousy? – making his voice crack at the end of his tirade.

"Who? Luke?" she laughed. "Please! He's like my brother, you idiot!"

"Oh."

"Yeah, _oh._"

Awkward silence fell between the two. Horrible, awkward silence. Every so often Rose would glance up at the blonde man, and he would do the same.

"Oh, for God's sake! Just snog the living daylights out of each other already, so we can get back in there!" Albus exclaimed.

The other three turned to stare at him, and he blushed. "Well... It's got to happen sometime."

"I agree." Piped up Luke for the first time since he had arrived at the scene.

Rose and Scorpius glared at Lucas and Albus respectively, and Rose said, "Look, you two. Maybe it would be better for us if we talked this over _without _you here..."

"And let you two shag in some corner, while we wait desperately to see whether you have chopped his balls off or not? No, thank you."

Screw you, Albus. Screw you.

"Leave." Scorpius demanded. "Albus, just leave. And take singer-boy with you."

"His name is Luke..." Rose intercepted feebly, not really wanting Albus to leave her alone with Scorpius now that he was about to.

"Whatever. Take him and go back inside."

Albus relented and grabbed Lucas by the arm and dragged him down the hallway. Rose and Scorpius could hear Lucas' protests until the other two boys had re-entered the Great Hall.

"So..." Scorpius muttered awkwardly. "Rose, I think we should – mmph!"

His sentence was cut short by the sudden collision of her lips against his.

Scorpius could feel her lips moving gently against his, but that was all. Most of his body was numb, but short bursts of delicious electricity thrummed in his veins sporadically.

* * *

Rose moved her lips less gently, because she couldn't feel him responding to her ministrations.

_He will respond… _she thought frantically. _Any minute now, he is going to start kissing me right on back. _

Nothing.

She felt his hands, which had found their way to her waist, push her away slowly. Horrified, she removed her lips from his and stared at him.

"Rose…" He wanted to tell her that he loved her, that he wanted to kiss her, but his mouth failed him for the second time in the space of five minutes.

Suddenly everything clicked in Rose's head. Her right hand flew to her mouth and she whispered, "Oh my God…"

Her voice was muffled, but he could still make out what she had said.

"Rose… Listen…"

"Oh my God, you're engaged!" she sobbed. "You're engaged!"

She ran away from him for the second time that night, but this time, she didn't retreat into the Great Hall – this time, she flew out into the darkness, and all that Scorpius could see of her was the faint shimmer of the sparkles on her dress, glimmering in the moonlight.

* * *

"Shit!" he cursed. The awful sensation of distress, the one he hadn't felt since that day at Hogsmeade in seventh year, made a roaring return. Holding back the unfamiliar tears that threatened to escape his grey eyes, he ran to the edge of the stone flooring outside the Great Hall and peered into the night. "Rose!"

He raced out into the darkness, wand in his hand. "Lumos…" The light that glowed from the end of his wand illuminated the darkness around him, and he could just – barely --make out a figure curled up at the roots of a giant tree right next to the lake.

He softly walked over to her, and she seemed to not notice his presence at her side when he squatted down beside her.

Rose heard his footsteps and subtly turned her face away from the man, so he couldn't see the salty residue on her cheeks. "What the hell do you want? Go back to your _fiancée_… " She scrunched her nose as if the word left her with a sour taste.

After a few moments, he spoke. "I don't care."

He could see her eyebrows furrow in confusion, and put his hand on her chin to turn her face towards him. He then repeated, "I don't care."

Her voice was raspy when she finally whispered, "Don't care about what?"

He lowered his lips to hers and captured them in a loving caress that seemed to last forever. He could feel her chest heaving with her dry sobs and the last few remaining tears dripped from her chin onto his shirt.

"The engagement… I don't care." He reiterated breathily. "It's you."

She sobbed once more and then grabbed the tie that was hanging loosely around his neck, and pulled him down for another kiss.

It seemed Albus' efforts had not _all _gone to waste.

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